Showing posts with label Jasbir Singh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jasbir Singh. Show all posts

26 December 2008

Jasbir Singh Testifies to CBI - Part One

I am too exhausted to write today; I did want to put this out to you, though.

More tomorrow, I hope.

Another riots witness names Tytler, Sajjan before CBI
Kulwinder Sandhu
Tribune News Service

Moga, December 26
After two days of grilling of Giani Surinder Singh, one of the two
eyewitnesses of the anti-Sikh riots being questioned by the CBI in
the USA, the two-member panel of the investigating agency questioned
the second eyewitness Jasbir Singh at Gaddar Memorial House in San
Francisco for more than four hours today.

The CBI recorded his statement with regard to the alleged role of
Congress leader Jagdish Tytler in the riots. The questioning would
continue tomorrow, revealed Jasbir Singh while talking to The Tribune
on the phone this morning.

He said he had told the CBI officials that 26 of his family members
and relatives were killed in the riots and he saved his life by
hiding himself at the river-bed of Yamuna on November 1 and 2 and in
a High School building near the inter-state bus terminal on November
3 during the riots.

"I have told the CBI that the investigating agency should not term it
as riots because no person from other communities was killed,
therefore, it should be better to term the incident as genocide", he said.

"I have told the CBI very clearly that both Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan
Kumar were directly involved in the large-scale killings of the Sikh
families in Delhi", he said, adding that he had told the CBI
officials that he recognised both leaders.

The CBI has called him again for tomorrow.

Meanwhile, many Sikh organisations gathered outside the Gaddar
Memorial House and demanded justice for the victims of riots. They
also demanded the arrest of all those who were involved in the riots.
They raised slogans against the CBI alleging that they were asking
unnecessary questions to the witnesses.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, New York-based attorney and legal adviser to
the Sikhs For Justice, who accompanied Jasbir from New York to San
Francisco to record his statement, said they believed in the Indian
Constitution and laws but there was a need to formulate a "hate
crime" law in India, providing special prosecutorial procedures and
harsh punishments for crimes targeting religious minorities.

Karnail Singh Peer Mohammad, president of the All-India Sikh Students
Federation, announced that his organisation would file a writ
petitions in all respective state high courts where Sikhs were massacred.

22 December 2008

Witness Statements Against Tytler.

This is the first time I've posted two posts about the same subject in one day. If you wish to check out today's first post about testimony against Tytler, go here. Evidentally one of brothers Giani Surinder Singh has given his damning testimony against the murderer Jagdish Tytler and how he incited the murder of us back in 1984. The other, Jasbir Singh is scheduled to testify later. Here is the latest story from


Newstrack India:

'84 Sikh riot: CBI records witness statements in US
New Delhi, Tue, 23 Dec 2008 NI Wire


A CBI team recorded witness Giani Surinder Singh’s statement in New York, USA regarding Jagdish Tytler’s role in organising massacre of Sikhs in November 1984. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a New York based attorney and legal advisor “SIKHS FOR JUSTICE” stated in a statement.

The CBI team recorded the statement of Giani Surinder Singh U/S 164 giving details of Jagdish Tytler’s role in leading and inciting mob to kill Sikhs during attack on Guruduwara Pulbhangash.

In this attack three Sikhs: Badal Singh, Thakur Singh an employee of DGPC and a former Delhi Police Inspector and Amarjit Singh were killed. The recording of witness Giani Surinder Singh U/S 164 will continue on December 23, 2008.

Attorney Pannun further stated that the CBI team will also record statement of witness Jasbir Singh regarding Jagdish Tytler’s role in organising massacre of Sikhs in November 1984. Despite initial reluctance by the CBI, it is through the constant efforts of Sikhs for Justice and All India Sikh Student Federation that the CBI finally agreed to record the statement of the witnesses in the United States.

On September 29, 2007, CBI filed a closure report regarding Jagdish Tytler’s role in massacre of Sikhs, stating witness Jasbir Singh cannot be traced and other witness Surinder Singh have refused to record statements.

AISSF and Sikhs For Justice, a US based human rights group produced US based witness Jasbir Singh before media within hours of closure report filed by CBI. Jasbir Singh who is presently living in US gave interviews to the media and showed his continuous willingness to record statement regarding Jagdish Tytler’s role in organising massacre of Sikhs in November 1984.

On December 18, 2007 Sanjiv Jain, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Delhi Court ordered CBI to re-investigate the role of Jagdish Tytler in killing of Sikhs and record the statements of Giani Surinder Singh and Jasbir Singh.

As per attorney Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, starting January 1, 2009 “Sikhs for Justice” in association with All India Sikh Students Federation President Karnail Singh Peermohammad would organise a “Justice Awareness Campaign” in order to reach out to witnesses and victims in 14 states where Sikhs were massacred in November 1984.

Sikhs For Justice, a New York based human rights group is fighting the legal battle in association with All India Sikh Students Organisation, President Karnail Singh Peermohammad to get justice to the victims of November 1984.

02 January 2008

Jasbir Ji and Laibar Ji and Kenya

There are two stories today that need to be reported, three actually, but two here, one concerning Jasbir Singh, one Laibar Singh, followed by a more personal statement.

The first is that the father of Jasbir Singh, the witness against [Jagdish Tytler] has reported that his son has been threatened in the United States. Here is the story .
By IE




Wednesday January 2, 09:23 PM



The father of Jasbir Singh, a key witness in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case
against Congress leader Jagdish Tytler, today alleged claimed his son was being
threatened in the United States.

"Jasbir has told me that he was being threatened there," Sattu Singh said.

CBI had filed a closure report in the 1984 riots case involving Tytler and
had claimed that Jasbir, who had submitted an affidavit before the Nanavati
Commission that probed the riots, was not traceable. However, he told TV
channels claiming that CBI had never approached him to be a witness.

The investigating agency immediately sent him a request for recording his
statement to which he has not responded till date.

Asked about the possibility of Jasbir's return to India and assist CBI in the
case, his father said, "it's natural that if he comes here, the threats (to him)
would be more. They can even get my son killed."

He also claimed Jasbir's children, who are staying with their grandparents in
the national capital, were being threatened by some people apparently belonging
to the establishment.

"Four people came to the house and they started threatening. However, they
had to beat a hasty retreat after some neighbours intervened," he claimed.






The second story is from the Christian Radical , the zine of the Vancouver Catholic Worker Community about a community meeting in support of Laibar Singh. Although this meeting is primarily for those not of our Sikh and Punjabi communities, I thought it would be of interest to our readers, as well. I think that many of us have felt abandoned by the larger Canadian community.

And here is a shiny, brand-new blog, with only one post so far: Support Laibar Singh. Please visit it and comment.

And again, I hope someone has brought him a cheerful blanket.






Laibar Singh Community Meeting This Thursday


2nd EMERGENCY Community Meeting on Laibar Singh and Racist Backlash Against
South Asian Community

Thursday January 3rd at 6 PM
Lore Krill Co-Op
65 West Cordova (corner, just east of Cambie)
Wheelchair accessible.

Last Thursday there was an emergency
meeting called by concerned activists and allies to organize support for Laibar
Singh to stay in Canada. This meeting was also to organize against the racist
backlash fueled by the misinformation that various media outlets have been
spreading about Laibar and his supporters. We came together primarily as people
outside of the
Punjabi and Sikh communities, inspired by the strength and
solidarity that has been shown by those communities in the numerous actions that
have recently taken place in support of Laibar Singh.

This first meeting
was a success, with large attendance and the formation of 'Communities for
Laibar Singh'. At this meeting we resolved to take on a number of projects to
build support for Laibar, as well as find ways to support the work that is
already going on in the Sikh, Punjabi, other South Asian communities on this
front. Some of these projects include:
- A
public forum on Laibar's case, which will take place Saturday January
12th
.
-Regular petitioning, tabling, and picketing on
campuses, skytrain stations, and other public places.
- Support for future
actions taken by the Punjabi and Sikh communities for Laibar Singh.

We
encourage people who are interested in getting involved with this campaign in
support of Laibar Singh to attend this meeting. This call is particularly for
allies in the community, acknowledging the need to disrupt the media's
characterization that support for Laibar Singh comes only from South Asian
communities. This call is also being made out of a sense of responsibility -
acknowledging that South Asian communities should not be alone on the forefront
to respond to current climate of increasing racist backlash.


For
more information please email
andrea_pinochet@hotmail.com.




My third story is more personal. Most of my husband's family lives in Kenya, which is currently suffering post-election violent upheavals. Their lives are in immediate danger. Without taking sides in this conflict, in some ways it reminds me of the kind of hatred and violence we experienced in 1984. I have posted about this in sometimes - 2. If you are interested, please read this post. Thank you.




--
Some see things as they are and ask, Why?
I dream things that never were and ask, Why not?
Bobby Kennedy

20 December 2007

Jasbir Singh WANTS TO TESTIFY


To avoid confusion, the gentleman wearing the black turban in the picture labeled 'Tytler Guilty' is Jasbir Singh., as is the above picture.
The other picture is of Jagdish Tytler.


I have heard that it is being said the Jasbir Singh Ji does not want to testify. Please read this story from The Times Of India. Does he sound even a little bit relunctant?

Reprinted from
The Times of India -Breaking news, views. reviews, cricket from
across India


Jasbir happy with order but cautious
19 Dec 2007, 0036 hrs
IST,TNN

SMS NEWS to 58888 for latest updates




NEW DELHI: Jasbir Singh, the man responsible for the court ordering a
re-investigation in the anti-Sikh riots case against Jagdish Tytler, told TOI
from California on Tuesday that he was happy with the order. He, however,
cautioned that justice was still a long way away.

"Twenty-six members of
my extended family were murdered. It was only because of the support of the
families of the victims that the case has come to this stage - otherwise it
would have closed," he said.

"This is the first step," he said.
"Thousands of Sikhs were murdered in a most brutal way and nothing was done to
stop them. But the order has given a new lease of life to the fight," he said.
Jasbir claims he was forced to leave the country after receiving death threats.
He, therefore, felt he would not be safe if he came to India to depose. "I don't
want to come to India to depose in the case. I want to remain in the United
States to give my deposition. My life is under constant threat in India. Had I
stayed there, I would have been dead by now," he said.

Jasbir's father,
Sattu Singh, was elated over the order. "Now we can hope for justice to be done.
I want my son to come here and look the culprits in their face and depose," he
said. Jasbir's mother however sounded a bit concerned with the proposition. "I
am scared that something might happen to him if my son comes here. It would be
far better for him to stay in America and depose," she said. Jasbir's wife
Prakash Kaur though happy with the court order was of the opinion that she would
wait till the culprits are finally punished. "The court's order has given me
some relief. But I would wait till the end and see the offenders punished," she
said.

Jasbir's mother-in-law, Gurdeep Kaur, was vociferous. "I want the
culprits to hang. We have endured the pain for many years and now I see hope,"
she said.




Oh, yeah, I totally agree with Bhenji Gurdeep Kaur. We have waited impatiently for TWENTY-THREE YEARS. TWENTY-THREE YEARS! That's a long, long time.



Eight members of our family were killed in our one house. There were others of our extended family killed elsewhere. Twenty-six members of his family were killed. Stalin, I think it was, said, 'One or two is murder. Hundreds or thousands are statistics.' This has been the attitude of the Indian authorities for nearly a quarter century. We are tired of waiting. For the first time in years, we see a glimmer of hope.



Nothing, of course, will bring our loved ones back. Nor should they be brought back. They are now our honoured shaheeds. In time, we will write stories and poems, and sing songs about them. They are and will, over time, become ever more recognised as part of our great history.



In the meantime, though, we need justice. We are not demanding that Mr. Tytler and Mr. Kumar be set alight and slowly burn to death while we watch, laughing. We are not demanding that their children be hacked apart in front of their mothers. We are not demanding that their wives, having witnessed the torture deaths of their husbands and children, be gang raped and then be left to fend for themselves. We are not even asking that their homes be looted and burned, nor that their sources of livelihood be destroyed. We are not asking 'an eye for an eye.' And we are not asking for vengeance. We are asking for justice. WE ARE DEMANDING JUSTICE.



This article, also from the TOI, wonders why Bhai Jasbir Singh went to the media rather than to the CBI. Oh my goodness, let me think for a moment. *rolls eyes* Might it just possibly be that he would like to live long enough to testify? Has that occurred to anyone at the TOI? In the media he is Jasbir Singh, Witness and Survivor. In India, he is a troublesome Sardar. He would prefer not to join the ranks of thousands of statistics, at least not before he has the chance to see justice served.



It is not clear how he will testify. It does seem clear to me, that we, the Sikh Community, need to keep a spotlight focused on our brother Jasbir Ji, in order to protect his life. As I stated above, to the Congress Party, he is just a bother that they would rather not contend with.



The Congress Party, of course, stands behind Mr. Tytler. To do otherwise would be to admit the culpability of their party in this whole horrible affair. That would be truthful, honest and courageous; Truthfulness, honesty and courage seem not to be traits of that party.



The TOI is further reporting that our witness also testified to the Nanavati Commission. What has taken so long? (See the preceding paragraph)



If you have not yet seen the TOI video, you may go here and watch.



Other Links:






19 December 2007

Three Singhs - Laibar, Jasbir and Sukhvir - and a Tytler

Dear Friends,

I had another post written and ready to publish about Laibar Singh's continuing difficulties. But I stopped and thought. I am neither a preacher nor a beggar. You are all well aware of his situation and what is needed. For me to keep exhorting you would be, I think, disrespectful toward my readers. So unless something new comes up - assuming I keep control of myself - I will not keep writing about this unfortunate brother who needs our help.

A new story has come to light about someone willing, even eager, to testify against Jagdish Tytler, Mr. Jasbir Singh. I imagine I will, in the next few days be writing quite a bit about this. To whet your appetite, I suggest you go here, to IBN-CNN, read the story and watch the video.

One more piece of business. Does everybody remember Sukhvir Singh, the taxi driver assaulted in Seattle on Gurparab? Since he lives in the United States, he and his family bear the cost of his medical bills, which, as you can imagine, are quite high. A fund has been set up to help him. Any contributions can be sent to:

Gurdwara Singh Sabha
5200 Talbot Road
Renton, WA 98055

Phone: 425-226-2277.